Category: Live and Virtual

Artist Spotlight Series Live and Virtual

Leon Timbo

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI

“Singer/songwriter Leon Timbo,” writes Thom Jurek of Allmusic.com, “has a unique, rootsy sound that incorporates equal measures of vintage soul, gospel, folk, R&B, funk, dance music, and even modern blues in a style referred to by his producer as ‘transparent soul.’” He numbers Bill Withers, James Taylor, Donny Hathaway, and Andrae Crouch among his influences, and he sometimes sings gospel music. He got his start performing at the Potter’s House Church in Dallas, where one night R&B star Tyrese was in the audience and asked Timbo to open his show at the House of Blues. Leon Timbo brings a songwriter streak to R&B that has been a bit neglected lately, and he comes to Michigan with a new album, “Lovers & Fools, Vol. 2.”

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Artist Spotlight Series Live and Virtual

Pat Byrne

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI

Pat Byrne migrated from Ireland to Austin, Texas in late 2017. Since then, he has melded two musical cultures known for introspective lyricism and raw, from-the-heart emotion—with spectacular results. “The raspy melodic soul of Byrne’s voice recalls the emotional spells the late Austin troubadour Jimmy LaFave used to cast, though Byrne’s songwriting bears a more distinctive Irish stamp.” Pat’s 2022 single “Only a Man” featured musicians from Emmylou Harris’s band, and his new “Until It Isn’t” features production from Bruce Robison and his band, making palpable the working musician’s struggle and uncertainty, underpinned by a nostalgic arrangement of strings and harmonium.

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Artist Spotlight Series Live and Virtual

Benjamin Dakota Rogers

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI

Hailing from his family’s farm in southwestern Ontario, Benjamin Dakota Rogers grew up building greenhouses, growing vegetables, and living off the land. “Growing up my family drove a big VW bus. We listened to a lot of fiddle music, going from festival to festival,” he says. “These days I live in one of the barns, tap trees, and make music.” Benjamin finds a way to match his instrument to the guttural twang of the voice. “I inherited my great-grandfather’s violin when I was young,” he says. “So I grew up playing that.” After a few years on six-string, Rogers began tuning his tenor guitar like a fiddle. “Tenors are neat because they were only popular for a short time in the 1920s. I’ve played about two-hundred shows on mine. It’s beautiful, and unreliable,” he laughs. Benjamin has shared stages in the U.S. with the likes of Molly Tuttle, Shovels & Rope, and The Milk Carton Kids. He comes to Michigan with a new album, “Paint Horse.”

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